Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) have sold regulators on their Internet search alliance. Now comes the hard part: Selling Internet users and advertisers.
The deal, under which Microsoft's Bing will become the search engine on Yahoo's Web sites, has created some confusion among users who think Yahoo has exited the search market, as well as advertisers and search engine marketers who remain unsure of how the new partners will operate.
Industry executives said the Yahoo-Microsoft alliance must focus on Internet searcher so it can start gaining search market share -- and clearly delineate the responsibilities of each partner if they are to emerge as a credible counterweight to industry leader Google Inc. (GOOG)
"The day the integration goes live, double the (number of) searchers and marketers will be making the decision if they like the product or not," said Kevin Lee, Chief Executive of search engine marketer Didit.com Inc
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